Samuel French Company Business Records 1847-1992 (Bulk Ca 1880-1920)
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AMHERST COLLEGE ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS Samuel French Company Business Records 1847-1992 (bulk ca 1880-1920) Summary: The Samuel French Company Business Records contain the business correspondence, contracts, and financial records accumulated by the company from the 1847-1992. The Samuel French Company published and leased plays in New York, London, and Canada, and the company’s records document their interactions with playwrights and the plays they helped distribute. Quantity: 26.25 linear feet Containers: 26 record storage boxes 2 oversize folders Processed: December, 2012 By: Sara Hawran, graduate student intern, Simmons College Sara Smith, Archives and Special Collections Specialist Finding Aid: January, 2012 Access: There is no restriction on access to the Samuel French Company Business Records for research use. Particularly fragile items may be restricted for preservation purposes. Copyright: Requests for permission to publish material from the Samuel French Company Business Records should be directed to the Archives and Special Collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. © 2010 Amherst College Archives and Special Collections Page 1 Samuel French Company Business Records INTRODUCTION Historical Note The Samuel French Company, also known as the Samuel French Dramatic Publishing Co. and Samuel French & Son, is a company specializing in drama and theatre publication. The Samuel French Company works with playwrights to publish their plays and lease them for production. The company was founded in the mid-19th century by Samuel French (1821-1898) in New York. As the business expanded, Samuel French brought his son, T.H. French, into the operation, and by the 1870s Samuel French and Son had established an office in London. T.H. French was responsible for the New York office and Samuel French operated the London office (T.R. Edwards taking over at the London office after Samuel French’s death). Eventually the business would establish an office in Canada, as well, creating Samuel French (Canada) Ltd. The Samuel French Company still exists in the present day as Samuel French, Inc. History of the Papers and Their Organization These records were collected and maintained by the Samuel French Company. The collection is part of the M. Abbott Van Nostrand Theatre Collection, which was donated to the Amherst College Archives and Special Collections by M. Abbott Van Nostrand (AC 1934), former president of Samuel French, Inc. Related Material at Amherst College Archives and Special Collections • Augustin Daly published material • Samuel French Company Music Holdings • Samuel French Company Theatre Scrapbooks • Truly Yours: one hundred and fifty years of play publishing & service to the theatre, a history of Samuel French, Inc., Amherst College Archives and Special Collections, File Z325.S16.T78 1980 • M. Abbott Van Nostrand oral history interview (1994), https://www.amherst.edu/library/about/support/friends/oral_history/oral_history_intervie ws/van_nostrand Preferred Citation [Identification of item], in the Samuel French Company Business Records [Box #, Folder #], Amherst College Archives and Special Collections, Amherst College Library. DESCRIPTION OF THE PAPERS © 2010 Amherst College Archives and Special Collections Page 2 Samuel French Company Business Records Scope and Content Note The Samuel French Company Business Records consists of 26.25 feet of business materials collected by the Samuel French Company. The records consist of account books, letter books, loose correspondence, contracts, copyright certificates, receipts, newspaper clippings, and other materials collected by the Samuel French Company. The bulk of the collection falls between the years 1880 and 1920, although there are documents spanning from 1847 to 1992. Most of the records pertain specifically to the company owned by Samuel French and his son T.H. French, but there are also a substantial amount of records pertaining to the affiliated organization the Lillian Russell Opera Company and pertaining to another theatrical manager and producer, Augustin Daly. Organization and Arrangement The Samuel French Business Records are arranged by material type. The papers are organized into 3 series: 1. BOUND VOLUMES [1863-1949] 2. UNBOUND DOCUMENTS [1847-1992] 3. FRENCH FAMILY CORRESPONDENCE [1887-1891, 1902] Series Descriptions Series 1, BOUND VOLUMES [1884-1949], consists of account books, letter books, and other bound record books. The series is arranged chronologically, with miscellaneous subseries at the end. The volumes within each subseries are arranged chronologically. The series is divided into 7 subseries: A: Account Books [1856-1949] B: Amateur Books [1912-1918] C: London Books [1884-1919] D: Regular Books [1904-1918] E: Press Books [1878-1931] F: Miscellaneous Bound Volumes [1863-1879] G: Miscellaneous Letter Books [1885-1916] Account Books [1856-1949] (subseries A) contains ledgers and record books which document box office activity and other financial transactions. This subseries is divided into four sub- subseries: American Theatre Account books, Grand Opera House account books, Samuel French (Canada) Ltd. account books, and Samuel French US account books. The volumes within each subgroup are arranged chronologically. © 2010 Amherst College Archives and Special Collections Page 3 Samuel French Company Business Records Amateur Books [1912-1918] (subseries B) consists of letter books containing copies of correspondence relating to amateur productions. London Books [1884-1919] (subseries C) consists of letter books that contain copies of correspondence regarding the London office of the Samuel French Company. The correspondence includes numerous letters from Thomas Henry French to his father Samuel French relating to both business and personal matters. Regular Books [1904-1918] (subseries D) consists of letter books containing copies of correspondence sent by the Samuel French Company. The “regular books” appear to hold general outgoing business correspondence from the company’s US office. Press Books [1878-1931] (subseries E) contains scrapbooks which document certain productions. The scrapbooks primarily contain newspaper clippings. Miscellaneous Bound Volumes [1863-1879] (subseries F) contain the Dramatic Authors’ Society Provincial Tariff (1879) and two books of Augustin Daly copyrights (1863-1870 and 1870- 1925). Miscellaneous Letter Books [1885-1916] (subseries G) contains several different types of letter books. The subseries is divided into two groups: special-purpose letter books and unlabeled letter books. Both groups are arranged chronologically. Special-purpose letter books include Madison Square Garden and “Officer 666” letter books. The unlabeled letter books have no specified focus. Most of them are probably general letter books, possibly precursors to the regular books. Among other topics, the unlabeled letter books contain numerous letters from Thomas Henry French to his father Samuel French relating to both business and personal matters. Series 2, UNBOUND DOCUMENTS [1847-1992], consists of correspondence, contracts, receipts, and other business records that were not stored in bound volumes. The subseries are arranged chronologically, with miscellaneous materials at the end. The series is divided into nine subseries: A: Augustin Daly Contracts [1872-1915] B: Play Documentation by date [1878-1968] C. Play Documentation by correspondent D: Lillian Russell Opera Company [1890-1893] E: American Theatre Company Mortgage [1892-1894] F: Events [1970-1992] G: Miscellaneous Materials [1847-1957] Augustin Daly Contracts [1872-1915, bulk ca. 1880-1900] (subseries A) primarily contains contracts between Augustin Daly and various European playwrights and publishing firms, largely © 2010 Amherst College Archives and Special Collections Page 4 Samuel French Company Business Records in France and Germany, giving Daly the rights to translate and perform their plays in the United States. The bulk of the contracts are between Daly and Felix Bloch, the manager of Germany’s largest publishing company. The series also contains a small amount of correspondence regarding contracts and copyright. Play Documentation by date [1878-1968] (subseries B) contains correspondence, copyrights, contracts, and newspaper clippings corresponding to specific plays distributed by the Samuel French Company. Of special note are the plays from 1902-1903, during the time when the Samuel French Company was active in acquiring British plays to perform in the United States. The plays are arranged in chronological order by the date of the available documentation. Play Documentation by correspondent [1896-1983] (subseries C) is a collection of letters acquired as a group in 2003, containing correspondence between Samuel French, Inc. and authors, publishers, producers and others. Arranged alphabetically by last names of correspondents. See Appendix A for list of correspondents Lillian Russell Opera Company [1890-1893] (subseries D) consists primarily of receipts and vouchers for expenses during a tour of “La Cigale.” The subseries also contains a 1890 contract between Lillian Russell and the Samuel French Company formally establishing the opera company. American Theatre Company Mortgage [1892-1894] (subseries E) contains vouchers, bills, receipts, and general financial information relating to the construction and mortgage of the American Theatre Company building. Events [1970-1992] (subseries F) contains information